Chapter Twenty-Two
Savannah
My life had become pure bliss. Rhys and I were in love and living together. Every day, I learned something new about him. And every night, we explored each other’s bodies before falling asleep with our limbs tangled together.
I felt as though all my dreams had come true.
Rhys came to work with me every day. He seemed to enjoy it. I could tell that the restriction of staying close to the store or home was beginning to wear on Ava. There was also something else bothering her. Every day she seemed paler and more withdrawn. I’d tried talking to her, but she kept brushing me off, which wasn’t like her.
Today, she seemed even more distracted, constantly checking her phone and unable to stand still. When she disappeared into the storeroom, I walked over to the table where Rhys sat reading a book and plopped down in his lap.
“I need you to do something for me,” I told him.
He smiled up at me. “Anything.”
I narrowed my eyes. “Anything? That’s a dangerous offer.”
Rhys’ smile widened and his blue eyes sparkled with mischief. “Okay, almost anything.”
“Will you go into the storeroom with Ava and see if you can get her to talk about what’s bugging her? She’s not herself and she won’t tell me.”
“What makes you think she’ll talk to me about it if she won’t talk to you?” he asked.
“Because I’m worried that she thinks she’s protecting me. She considers you her partner when it comes to keeping me safe. Though I don’t understand why she feels that way. I may not have the power or skills that she has, but I’m not completely defenseless.” I shook my head. “But that doesn’t matter. I just want to make sure she’s okay and if she won’t talk to me, maybe she’ll share it with you.”
Rhys looked undecided.
“Just go in and check on her. I’m worried.” I truly hoped Ava would at least unload a little of whatever was bothering her. It had to be serious if she wouldn’t even discuss it with me.
“Fine,” Rhys sighed, lifting me off his lap. “I’ll go talk to her, but if she tells me it’s none of my concern, I’m taking her at her word. Which you should do too,” he admonished.
“Normally, I would, but she’s not acting like herself.”
He kissed my lips and murmured, “I’ll be right back. Stay inside the store.”
I barely refrained from rolling my eyes because I already knew to stay inside. I didn’t need to be told. There was an itch between my shoulder blades when I was at the store, a sensation of being watched. I knew something was coming, but I wasn’t sure when.
Rhys disappeared into the storeroom and I grabbed a cloth and disinfectant from behind the counter. The shop was slow today and I decided to clean since the tables were empty. I started with the booth closest to the door, spraying the table down and wiping it with the damp towel.
Suddenly, the windows seemed to melt away and the wall beneath disappeared. Before I could move, two long arms reached through the space and took hold of me. I gripped the bottle of disinfectant tightly, pointing it the direction of my attacker’s face and sprayed it several times.
The man swore, his hands releasing me, and I took three stumbling steps back. I turned to flee, drawing in a breath to scream, when a hand clamped down over my mouth and an arm circled my waist.
I was yanked off my feet and back into a rock solid body.
“Stupid move, Savannah,” a low male voice whispered in my ear. “Now you’ve pissed me off.”
I tried to scream as Macgrath carried me backward through the portal. Though my struggle was fruitless against the vampire’s strength, I fought his hold with all my might as I watched the wall in front of us close up brick by brick and the window shift into place.
Then I felt a sickening lurch in my stomach and the sensation of falling through the air, only my feet remained planted on solid ground.
When the whirling colors around me stopped, I heaved, struggling to hold back the sickness that wanted to rise from my belly. My head spun wildly and my legs gave out beneath me.
With nearly gentle hands, Macgrath deposited me onto a sofa, tucking a pillow behind me. “Take slow, deep breaths,” he commanded. “And don’t close your eyes because it will only make it worse.”
I swallowed back another gag and focused on my breathing, hoping that I wouldn’t embarrass myself and puke everywhere. I didn’t even notice that Macgrath disappeared until he returned with a glass of ginger ale.
“Drink this. The sugar and the bubbles will help.”
I stared at the glass with suspicion, not wanting to take it.
With a heavy sigh, he lifted it to his lips and took a healthy swallow. “It’s not poisoned or drugged or anything.”
“Even if it was,” I replied, lifting my defiant gaze to his. “You wouldn’t die if you drank it.”
“Do you want to feel better or not?” he asked, holding out the glass to me again.
I shook my head. “I’ll only drink it if you bring me an unopened bottle or can.”
Macgrath stared down at me for a moment then he burst into laughter. “Oh, you’re a feisty one, aren’t you?”
“I’m not feisty. I’m pissed,” I retorted. “But I’m not going to bother talking to you about it because I know that you’re just the minion that does Rhiannon’s dirty work. So until she’s here, I’d prefer not to speak to you.”
His smile faded, replaced with an unreadable expression. Without a word, he carried the glass out of the room. I looked around, searching for a clue about my whereabouts or an escape route. Even if I found one, I was still too light-headed to run. I wouldn’t get more than three steps out of the room before I would puke or faint, or both.
To my surprise, Macgrath returned with a chilled can of soda and held it out to me. “This hasn’t been tampered with. You’ll feel much better after you have some sugar and caffeine.”
Warily, I took the can from him. Though it was a small act of rebellion, I didn’t thank him. The vampire didn’t deserve my courtesy considering he’d kidnapped me right out of The Magic Bean.
I cracked open the can and sipped the soda, letting the sweet flavor and the bite of the bubbles settle my stomach and my head. Within moments I did feel better.
Unable to contain myself, I took in my surroundings and asked, “Where’s your boss?”
Macgrath raised a single brow and I frowned at him, wondering how he did that. When I attempted that eye trick, I looked like I had a strange tic.
“She’ll be here later,” he replied. “She had some business to attend to.”
My muscles tightened. “Business? With Ava and Rhys?”
The vampire just smiled smugly. “That’s not something you need to know.”
I stared at him, wondering if I had the guts to show him exactly what I was capable of. Unfortunately, I’d forgotten that most vampires were able to read minds if a person wasn’t careful enough to shield their thoughts.
“What are you capable of?” he asked, his tone sardonic.
I leaned back against the pillow he’d placed behind me and crossed my arms over my chest. “You’ll find out eventually,” I replied.
Macgrath leaned one hip against the bar that separated the living area from a sleek, modern kitchen. “If I think for a single moment that you’re trying to hurt me, I will kill you,” he growled. “Do you think you’re fast enough to stop a vampire before he breaks your neck?”
I knew that I wasn’t but I wouldn’t tell him that. Instead, I tilted my chin up and stared straight at him, refusing to back down.
Once again the vampire shocked me with his reaction. He laughed. “I don’t think Rhiannon understood what she was getting into when she decided to use you as her leverage,” he murmured. “If she did, there’s no way she would have followed through.”
I wondered what his cryptic words meant but I wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of asking. I let my eyes wander over my surroundings and realized I was in some sort of house. It was what I would call a modern monstrosity. The floors and walls were concrete and the furnishings were so sleek and unadorned that they were boring. The entire living room and kitchen completely lacked any sort of personality, unless ‘cold’ was a type of interior design. But at least the couch was comfortable.
“Where are we?” I asked even though I doubted he would tell me.
“Rhiannon’s house.”
His immediate answer surprised me, especially since it was the truth.
When he saw my face, he chuckled. “It’s not that easy to find,” he continued.
I studied the interior with new eyes. If this was Rhiannon’s home, it said a great deal about her state of mind. She had no delusions of grandeur. She didn’t want flash or recognition. The house might be large and the furnishings well made, but she didn’t invest a lot of money into her home, even though she had it.
She didn’t live here so much as exist within the walls. I loathed admitting it, but Rhiannon Temple and I had a lot in common. While I lived half a life, she didn’t live at all.
“Don’t feel sorry for her, Savannah,” Macgrath stated, his voice a low growl. “She doesn’t deserve it. Any pain she carries, she brought upon herself.”
I thought of Rhys and Cornelius. Neither of them asked for their pain. While Rhys managed to remain generous and good, Cornelius let the darkness swallow him. I wondered if Rhiannon’s experiences had done the same for her.
“Savannah.” I looked up when the vampire called my name. “For some people, the darkness already lives inside them, looking for an excuse to get out. When they find it, they relish the chaos they create.”
I didn’t argue, but I did wonder if Rhiannon had welcomed the darkness within her or if she’d had no other choice but to accept it.